CPACE: Notes on Community Leadership

Using Community

Collaborate with Stakeholders to Use Resources

Engaging Community Stakeholders
A school leader can take several steps to engage community stakeholders in order to utilize community resources and build partnerships. First, the leader should communicate effectively with stakeholders. Stakeholders are more likely to engage when they are aware of the activities happening at the school, the vision and goals for the school, and the accomplishments of the students and staff. When stakeholders are aware of these things, they are able to identify where they can support the school. Next, the school leader should invite stakeholders to visit the school and participate in school activities. This may include activities such as Career Day, awards assemblies, graduation, fairs, and more. Finally, the school leader should engage in activities hosted by community stakeholders. This will demonstrate that the school leader is supportive of their endeavors and is open to learning about the stakeholders' roles in the community. As the leader builds relationships with these stakeholders, he or she can identify individualized ways to further engage community stakeholders.

Supporting School Programs with Community Resources
Almost all aspects of the school program can be supported with community resources. Local community organizations can prove to be valuable in a broad range of areas that benefit the school, its staff, and the students. These may include transportation, training, academic support, extracurricular activities, fundraising, clubs, sponsorships, internships for students, physical resources such as equipment, services, and much more. For example, community volunteers help to maintain school safety with services such as greeting visitors, monitoring halls, or assisting with arrival and dismissal. Some community organizations may be able to provide school supplies for students or classroom supplies for teachers, which can support the instructional program. Other organizations may have access to men and women who can serve as mentors to at-risk youth on campus. It is up to the school leader to identify community resources near the school and determine if and how those resources can benefit the school community.

Benefits of Community Partnerships
Community partnerships are beneficial to the school and the community. Establishing community partnerships is a way of providing resources to students and their families, usually at little or no cost to them. This can be invaluable to low-income families who otherwise would not be able to afford the services. Additionally, establishing community partnerships creates sustainability and stability within the community. When the school and its families patronize the organizations in the community and utilize their services, this helps to ensure that the organization will remain operable in the community. Frequently, services disappear from communities because they are underutilized, especially in impoverished communities. Finally, community partnerships established by the school leader help to align the school vision and goals with those of the community to garner more support and resources to accomplish the vision and goals.

Variety of Services

Services Provided for Students Through Community Resources
Many community resources used to support schools are targeted toward students in need. Some community resources target academic needs. These include providing tutorial services, free or low-cost school supplies, free books, internships, training programs, and more.
Other community resources target physical health needs. These resources may include free or low-cost immunizations, free or low-cost dental services, free or low-cost medical checkups, and more. These types of resources may also address other physical needs of students, such as food, clothing, toiletries, or haircuts and grooming. Additionally, some community resources cater to the psychosocial needs of students. These resources may include mentoring, counseling, therapy, peer mediation, and many others. Some organizations provide specific services while others offer a variety of services. School leaders need to coordinate access to and delivery of these services to best meet students'

Services Provided for Staff Through Community Resources
Even though staff members of the school do not necessarily reside in the community associated with the school, some community organizations extend benefits and resources to staff because of their service to the community. These resources may include memberships or discounts to local businesses for purchasing food or supplies for the classroom, access to free training or resources that can aid in their professional development, or partnerships with local businesses to supplement instruction in the classroom. Many organizations in the community are willing to donate time, money, or resources and supplies for special events or activities hosted at the school. Consequently, the school leader and staff members should keep community stakeholders informed about school events to help determine how these community partners can support the school.

Services Provided for Parents Through Community Resources

As residents of the community, parents often have access to certain resources. At times, these resources can be delivered through the school to increase the likelihood of parental engagement in these resources. These services may include English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for non-native English speakers, GED or adult high school programs, technology courses, individual and family counseling, and much more. Additionally, some community services assist adults with acquiring housing or meeting household expenses such as rent, utilities, and food. Other services may include childcare, parenting classes, and other supports for the adults and their families. For many of these community organizations, the rationale for providing support to parents is that the children will benefit, which in turn positively affects their school life in areas such as attendance and academic performance.

Value of Partnering with Community and Recreational Centers
Partnering with community and recreational centers is often an opportunity to provide students and their families with resources they may not normally have access to or take advantage of. Often, community members are unaware of services that these organizations provide at little to no cost, such as childcare, use of gym facilities, access to technology, and more. Similarly, these organizations can help to expand the school program. For example, an organization may partner with the school to provide childcare on campus for students whose parents cannot pick them up at school dismissal time. Similarly, a community center may provide GED preparation to adults and can offer these services on the school campus to parents. These partnerships are mutually beneficial and often involve sharing services and facilities.

Collaboration to Benefit Both School and Community

Memorandum of Understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a contract between two parties, outlining the details of an agreement in which no money is exchanged. It is an agreement of services to be provided. For example, an organization may offer to provide tutorial services for students in reading and math after school on campus at no cost to the school. The school and the organization would draft a memorandum of understanding that outlines the tutorial services to be provided and the school leader's promise to provide a location on campus for the services. Both parties would sign the document and receive an original copy. The verbiage of the memorandum of understanding can be the same as in a traditional contract, but often the language is simpler as the sole purpose of the document is to state the exchange of services with no monetary compensation. The purpose of the memorandum of understanding is to document the services that are to be provided. This type of documentation can be helpful for both parties in providing evidence that the services were agreed upon and delivered.

Long-Term Benefits of Collaborating with Community Members
Collaborating with members of the community can have long-term benefits for the school and the surrounding community. When there is collaboration and partnership between the community and the school, there can be an alignment of vision and goals. This fosters long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. For example, community organizations and the school may identify a need for increased technology education within the community. They can collaborate to add technology programs in the school, programs for adults within the community, and an increase in internet access for community members. Also, community programs can be integrated into the school program and even housed on the school campus. For example, a GED program may be based on a school campus to increase accessibility to parents and encourage parental engagement at the school. Community support can sustain or boost student enrollment in school and participation in special school programs.

Connection Between the School and Local Employment Trends
The school provides education and training that make students employable in the community workforce. As a result, the school can supplement or adjust programming to respond to community needs, such as training students in particular fields that are experiencing an employment shortage within the community. For example, the school leader and community members may identify a need for more healthcare workers in their community. They can tailor a school program to offer healthcare courses and training that could lead to certifications and degrees in the healthcare field.
These students could then enter the local workforce with the skills to fill the needs of local employers. Many schools, especially secondary schools, partner with local community colleges and community organizations to identify employment trends to support the local community as well as to increase the likelihood that graduates can obtain employment.

Connection Between the School and Local Education Trends
It is beneficial to the school community, the community at large, and postsecondary education institutions to align education expectations between public school and college. Schools and students benefit when there is communication between area colleges and the school for the purpose of understanding the local education trends and needs. For example, the local community college can communicate to school leaders that recently enrolled freshmen have significant deficits in math skills. This information can prompt a school leader to analyze and revise the current math program and make the needed adjustments to ensure that students are graduating with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in college. Similarly, communication between postsecondary institutions and school leaders can help to identify the soft skills that students need to be successful in college, as well as trends in degree programs and career paths. This type of communication can also lead to the institution of higher education programming on school campuses, such as dual-credit enrollment or training and certification programs.

Benefit of Maintaining a Safe School for the Community
The first priority of a school leader is maintaining school safety. This benefits not only the students and staff, but also the community as a whole. When issues and conflicts identified at the school are resolved promptly, this can prevent escalation of those issues outside the school, which can ultimately prevent violence or other altercations in the community. Also, a safe school in the community becomes a safe haven or refuge for unsafe communities and neighborhoods. Community members are willing to engage in school events when they know that the school is safe and organized. Additionally, community members and organizations are willing to support and invest in schools that are safe and well-run. In contrast, when a school is not safe, this can lead to decreased enrollment and a lack of parental and community support.

Building Relationships with Business, Religious, Political, and Service Organizations

Building Relationships with Various Community Organizations
A school leader can build relationships with various community organizations through effective communication and active participation in community events. First, the school leader should effectively communicate to community leaders that he or she desires to partner and build a relationship. This communication can involve sharing the school vision and goals and learning about the vision and goals of the community organizations. This can lead to a discussion of how the school and community organizations can organize mutually beneficial plans and activities. Collaborating will help to establish relationships. Then, the school leader should be an active participant in community events so that he or she will be visible and recognizable, as well as to show support for the community. This participation may include attending events at other schools in the community, attending church services in the community, or participating in other community-sponsored events. Supporting the activities of community organizations demonstrates investment in the community and helps to build relationships.

Information Sources to Learn About Community Dynamics
It is important for a leader to understand the dynamics of the community to meet the community's needs and to establish productive relationships. These dynamics can be revealed in a variety of ways. Often, community leaders and parents in the community are willing to discuss the community's makeup and dynamics. The school leader can search for publications, such as community newspapers or bulletins, to stay up to date on community affairs. These newspapers often highlight community leaders, organizations, community needs, and upcoming community events. Additionally, the school leader can attend community meetings such as town hall meetings to learn about the concerns of the community. It is also important to learn who the government officials in the area are, as well as candidates running for office in upcoming elections.

Communication with Family and the Public
A school leader should take advantage of multiple ways of communicating with families and the public. Communication can be facilitated through technology.
Methods include emails, electronic newsletters, websites, social media, mass automated phone calls, and other forms of technology that can be used to share messages with large groups of people. The school leader can also communicate in ways that require little or no technology. This includes making personal phone calls, hosting community meetings, making public announcements at community events, mailing letters, and other methods. When hosting community meetings, the leader should ensure that these meetings are held at a variety of times that are convenient for parents and the community, such as early morning, late evening, or weekends. A leader can use a variety of ways to communicate and must identify the most preferred and effective means of communication for the school community. Additionally, the school leader can use multiple modes of communication to share the same message and reach as many people as possible.

Overcoming Language Barriers in Communication
In diverse communities, school leaders often encounter language barriers when attempting to communicate with parents of students or other community members. It is helpful when a leader is fluent in more than one language, but often a variety of languages are spoken in these communities. To overcome language barriers, a leader should be proactive in devising communication strategies.
First, the leader should be aware of all languages that are spoken in the school community. Then, the leader should attempt to have school employees who are fluent in the languages spoken on campus so they can translate when needed. Additionally, school communications can be translated into a variety of languages. Translators or translation machines can be available at community meetings, including sign language when appropriate. Many businesses offer translation services for documents, as well as for meetings and conferences held in real time.

Effectively Communicating with the Media
There are times that the school leader will need to communicate effectively with the media, for both positive and negative reasons. The school leader should first follow the protocols and procedures outlined by the school district when communicating with the media, especially in situations in which the media attention is negative for the school or district. Some school districts centralize media communication and do not permit school leaders or other staff to communicate with the media without express approval. When communicating with the media, school leaders should speak truthfully, communicate in alignment with the school and district vision and goals, and communicate according to instructions from the school district staff. A school leader can utilize media outlets to positively highlight the school, such as broadcasting upcoming events or spotlighting student and staff accomplishments.

Formal vs. Informal Communication
Formal communication is usually prepared in advance. The school leader knows what is to be communicated and how. Formal communication is typically structured and controlled and is delivered in a formal way, such as in a presentation to the community or a speech at an event. Formal communication also involves prepared print communication such as a letter, email, or bulletin to the public. In contrast, informal communication is often impromptu. This often involves conversation with an individual or group, an unexpected phone call, or a text message. In informal communication, the topic may be unexpected or vary within the course of communication. Informal communication can occur before or after a formal meeting or event, as a result of an unexpected phone call, or in any variety of circumstances in which the school leader was not prepared for the communication or conversation.

Precautions When Speaking Informally with Stakeholders
School leaders should take precautions when speaking informally with stakeholders to protect themselves, the school, and the school district. Informal conversation can be used negatively by people who do not have the best interest of the school or school leader in mind or who are seeking personal gain. As a result, a leader should take care to be professional even in informal speech and to speak in accordance with the school and district vision and goals. For example, a school leader may make a joke during an informal conversation after a parent meeting that the parent does not believe to be in good taste. That parent can then make a formal complaint to the school district regarding the leader's professionalism. Regardless of the leader's perception of his or her relationship with the stakeholder, it is imperative to remember one's position as school leader when engaging in informal conversation. The leader should view all communication, formal or informal, as a reflection of the position of school leader and of the school and school district.

Best Practices for Communicating Through Email
When communicating via email, a school leader should make sure that the email communicates the message in the intended way. In order to do this, the leader should maintain a professional tone. Humor and sarcasm are not often conveyed well via email and should be avoided. The school leader should also review the email for proper spelling, grammar, and word use, as errors can cause the message to be misunderstood. The leader should use features such as Reply All and cc with caution, only sending the email to those who need to be included in the conversation. Also, the school leader should confirm that any necessary attachments are included in the email, if applicable. It is also a good practice to confirm with the recipient that the email has been received.
Emails with attachments or mass emails are sometimes redirected to the recipient's spam or junk mail folder and may not be received in a timely manner, if at all.

Considerations When Scheduling Parent Meetings

Scheduling parent meetings for large groups of parents, the school leader should consider the time of day and day of the week that these meetings are to be held. The goal of these meetings is to effectively communicate with parents in a group setting, so the school leader needs to ensure that the scheduled day and time accommodate the majority of parents for maximum attendance. The ideal times for these events will vary based on the needs of parents in the community. In many communities, parents work during the day, so evening meetings are more favorable. In some communities, certain days of the week are dedicated to religious activities, sporting events, or other engagements, and this should be taken into consideration when scheduling a parent meeting. For example, a school leader would not want to schedule a parent meeting at the elementary school on the same evening as the high school football game, as this would put the two events in competition. The school leader can talk to parents and survey families to identify ideal times to host meetings and should be open to hosting meetings at a variety of times, such as early in the morning or on weekends.

Involving Families in Decision Making

Shared Decision-Making Committee
The purpose of the Shared Decision-Making Committee (SDMC) in schools is to provide a structured process for the inclusion of stakeholders in the school decision-making process. This committee is made up of school leadership, school staff, parents, community members, and other key stakeholders that the school leader may choose to include. The committee meets regularly to discuss key decisions that the school leader will make. These decisions may involve school programming, fundraising, planning for school events, and other initiatives. In these meetings, participants are informed of key details that should be considered in making these decisions and are given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the decisions as well as to provide recommendations. The SDMC provides recommendations to the school leader but does not have authority to dictate decisions. However, the SDMC provides an opportunity for stakeholder participation in the school process and helps to build relationships between the school leader and stakeholders.

Ways for Families to Be Involved in School Decision-Making

A school leader should provide as many opportunities as possible to include families in school decision-making. First, the leader should inform families in advance of decisions that will be made. For example, the leader may alert the parents that he or she is considering converting the school playground into a garden. This gives families an opportunity to provide feedback prior to the decision. The school leader can use surveys to gather input from families regarding the school, providing data that can be used in decision-making. Additionally, the school leader can communicate with parent organizations on campus or form a parent focus group to gather feedback and opinions on decisions to be made at the school. Also, there should always be at least one parent representative on the Shared Decision-Making Committee.

Ways for Families to Be Involved in the Decisions Made About Their Child's Education
Each family should have the opportunity to be involved in decisions made about their individual child's education. These decisions may include course selection or school programming pathways, extracurricular activities like clubs and sports, opportunities for tutorials and extended learning, and many others. First, the school should provide clear and effective communication to the families, indicating areas of the school program in which they can help make decisions for their children. Then, the school leader can provide ways for parents to offer their opinions, such as through frequent parent meetings or holding one-on-one conferences. Also, phone calls and emails can be very effective in including parents in the decision-making process. Many schools send informative letters or bulletins home to parents to include them in the process. Some campuses have opted to staff a parent liaison who specializes in communicating with parents and encouraging their participation in the school decision-making process.

Benefits of Involving Families in Decision-Making
Involving families in decision-making is beneficial to both the families and the school.
Involving families increases buy-in for the decisions that are made, which can lead to increased support for school initiatives. For example, if families help to decide which tutoring program to implement after school, they will be more likely to have their child participate in the tutorials. Involving families in decision-making also strengthens the relationship between the school and families and stimulates parental engagement. Also, when families are involved, they often share information and a perspective that can inform the school leader's decisions. This can help the leader make decisions that better address the needs of students and their families.

Need for Two-Way Communication
Two-way communication is the process of sending and receiving messages. In two-way communication, a person who receives a message has an opportunity to respond or send a message back to the sender. When collaborating with stakeholders and families, it is important for the school leader to provide opportunities for two-way communication, in contrast to only sending one-way messages. Two-way communication helps the leader to confirm that the message or communication was received as intended. Sometimes a message can be unclear or misinterpreted, and this confusion can be identified in two-way communication. Additionally, two-way communication allows the school leader to learn more about the opinions, needs, and concerns of key stakeholders. Finally, two-way communication promotes involvement and engagement of the stakeholders, which can foster relationships between them and the school and increase buy-in from the stakeholders in regard to the school leader's vision and goals.

Ensuring Two-Way Communication
A leader can ensure two-way communication by providing many opportunities for stakeholders to communicate with him or her. For example, a school leader may host a community meeting and provide a time during the program for stakeholders to ask questions or voice their opinions. School leaders can also make themselves accessible to those seeking to communicate with them.
This can be done in several ways, such as holding frequent meetings with stakeholders or choosing certain office hours with an 'open-door policy.' Other ways of promoting communication include sending out surveys, creating a comment or feedback box on campus, and being open to phone calls and emails.
A school leader should be visible during parent and community events and display a willingness to engage in conversation with stakeholders, demonstrating receptiveness to two-way communication.